The Iola register., 1887-03-18

pilot aboard steamer which was wait
ing on the outside to enter. The Cap
tain. having been up all the previous
night, went to his cabin and turned in
for the night. The passengers were all
either sea-sick or chilled by the cold
wind. and had gone to their rooms and
into the cabin. The wheelman, by or
ders from Dunham, made out Cape Dis
and Tillamook Head, and
took his ranges from them and put
the ship on her course. He had only
time to do this when . fog
rolled up. 30 dense that even the light
on Cape Disappointment could scarcely
be seen. Dunham assured himself that
the ship was on the right course by
going in the wheelhouse and looking
for himself. Having done this, and
the coast perfectly, he felt
pretty safe. He was q little confused
and nervous, however. and SO he went
down to the cabin and overhauled his
charts, and read the sailing directions
just as though he had never made the
trip before. He seemed to be all right.
bring your vessel in range with Cape
and Tallamook Head,
and then put her about south by cas-" "
He had done this fifty times before,
and had come out all right. To be
sure that no mistake had been made.
he climbed up to the wheel-house, and
quietly asked the man at the wheel
how he had got his range. He an
swered promptly and satisfactorily.
Every thing was according to orders.
So Dunham cursed his nervousness,
and walked back to the smoke-stack.
The wind had gone down with the
sun, but heavy sea was running. and
it was as dark as Tartarus. Dunham
paced the deck for half an hour. then
went below to get his cloak. Being
chilly, he went up to the hurricane
deck and sat with his back to the
Being nervous, he lit a
cigar. Being careful, he walked for
ward to see how things were moving.
He thought he heard distant roar. He
and could hear nothing. He
walked back to the smoke-stack. In
ten minutes he came forward again.
He thought he heard the roar of the
surf. He called to the man at the
wheel:
s.Abbott?''
cay, ay. SIR"
'.How does she stand?"
''Sou' by east, SIR"
That was all right; that was the
course Dunham had put her on.
He went to the paddle-box and sig
nailed the engine to stop. Then he
called man and had the lead thrown.
"Twenty-four. Plenty of water"
thought Dunham, and started the en-
gine. He then went to the captain s
cabin and knocked. The captain did
not hear the first time, and he knocked
again.
"Who's thereP"
1.-The mate"
The captsin opened d port near the
head of his berth, and asked him what
the matter was. Durham reported.
The captain told him it was all right;
that it was foggy, and the roar of the
surf with such sea on and no wind
could be heard ten miles. Dunham
rather thought so. too. and went away.
During this parley, and while the mate
stopped few minutes to look after
things below. the ship had made more
than two miles headway. By the time
Dunham. got on deck again the roar of
the surf was frightful. He fairly
screamed at the helmsman:
'.Abbott!'
GAY. ay. sir"
"How's her head?'
"Sou' by east, sir"
Amazing! Dunham ran to the pad
dle-box and jerkcd signal. The en-
gine stopped. Then he rushed to the
captains door and called him out in
the name of the gods. Both flew on
deck. There was no mistake about it;
there were the breakers not half = mile
ahead. judging by the sound. thunder
ing and boiling against the shore.
Durham had almost run the ships
head on shore, and that, too, when she
was holding precisely the same course
by compass that he had put her on fifty
times before.
The captain roarcd: whats her
course?"
Sou by east. SIR"
''Put her sou'wcst."
"Sou'west, SIR" echoed the man al
the wheel, and the wheel spun round
and the chains ratified. The captain
rushed to the signal-bell and started
the engine, and got the ship under good
steering headway. Scarcely had she
started on her new course when a
scraping sound was heard and felt
then, bump, bump. bump, as though
the ship had been lifted up and SCI
down hard three times; then crash
and a sudden stop that sent the cap
tain and mate on their faces. and
brought the smoke.stacks crashing
through the decks, ard snapped off the
topmasts like pipe-stems. The shir
had struck a sunken rock, and began
to fill at once>
Who got toehore, and how they got
to shore, matters not. 1t is the same
old story. The news spread on wings
Men came and dragged the swollen
corpses of their friends out of the surf,
or dug them out of the sand. or identi'
fed them in the shed, or paced the
beach day after day, looking out on the
remorseless sea that sullenly clung tc